Aston Villa 3-1 Viking: result and report

The Pundit picked Aston Villa (50%): correct

Report

Aston Villa won 3-1 at Villa Park, which was the comfortable home win they were expected to deliver. Even so, the scoreline undersells how one-sided the match was.

Ross Barkley opened the scoring on 23 minutes from Ibrahim Mbaye's pass. Emiliano Buendía then scored a penalty on 37 minutes, so Aston Villa went in at half-time two goals clear.

The third goal came on 62 minutes through an own goal from Henrik Heggheim. Viking still found a reply late on. Peter Christiansen scored on 84 minutes from Kristoffer Askildsen's pass, though by then the result was settled.

Chances against the scoreline

Aston Villa scored three, but they could have scored far more. They finished with just under 3.0 xG to Viking's 0.78. They also had 14 shots to four and 10 on target to three.

The big-chance count is starker still. Aston Villa created eight big chances to Viking's one, while missing six of them. Each side also hit the woodwork once, which adds to the sense that the home side left goals behind.

The pressure pattern points the same way.

Arild Østbø kept Viking in it

Viking's goalkeeper made eight saves and was named player of the match despite conceding three. That is unusual for someone on a beaten side. It suggests that without him the margin would probably have been wider.

Viking's own attacking threat was thin. Three shots on target and one big chance were not enough to trouble Aston Villa for most of the evening, although Christiansen's goal at least gave them something late on.